Kitsap County Homes for All; Seattle Neighborhood Greenways awarded Community Challenge Grants

Communities across Washington are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

In support of that work, AARP is excited to be able to provide funding to organizations through the AARP Community Challenge to help them jumpstart progress on ongoing work. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 129 organizations, with at least one in every state, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico, including right here in Washington.  The Community Challenge grants provide communities with the chance to fund innovative projects that can inspire change in areas such as transportation, open spaces, housing, and other innovative projects to improve the community and make Washington's counties, cities, towns and rural areas better places to live for all Washingtonians.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all residents. We believe that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.

After a successful 2017, with 90 grantees, this initiative is now in its 2 ^nd year, and it has increased its investment to over $1.3 million in the form of 129 grants.

Here in Washington, we are excited about the work that the Community Challenge Grants are supporting in 2018.

• Kitsap County Homes for All project strives to improve the life and health of all village residents by providing a community kitchen area and a multi-purpose community room, as well as an ADA accessible ramp for those with mobility issues.  The tiny home residents will have a space to share meals, socialize with each other and attend village meetings, educational classes, and educational seminars.
• Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is working toward safer streets in North Seattle.  The grant will be used to create a traffic calming project that helps residents reclaim their neighborhood streets for walking, biking and socializing.  The project includes self-watering planter boxes which will restrict and slow car access; wayfinding signs to encourage walking and biking and an art installation within the community.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge grant program both here in Washington as well as across the nation, visit us at aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. And to learn more about how AARP is working to make communities across Washington and across the U.S. more livable for all residents, visit aarp.org/livable.